Honda Accord 2.0, 2.4 and 3.5L-V6 Review

Utilizing 48 per-cent high-tensile steel, the new Accord grows to become 90mm longer, 24mm wider and 22mm taller with a 60mm longer wheelbase. The front and rear track is now 25mm wider, and while all this has taken place, it only weighs a meagre 5 per-cent heavier.
The interior volume has gone up by 93-litres to yield a total of 3400. That's approximately two thousand large bottles of Ice Mountain, Evian, or whatever brand you prefer, assuming one were to gut the plush leather seats, carpets and everything else.

Rear leg room is up by 11mm to 955 mm while an overall 38mm increase in interior passenger space enables the front passenger seats to be further apart. A little wonder then, why boot space remains kept to just under 400-litres.

This overall expansion of internal space is intended to 'equalize' seating comfort for both the front and rear passengers.

The four-cylinder Accords come with an MP3/WMA capable 6-CD changer system, direct connection USB for iPods and other MP3 players while the 3.5-litre V6 adds an 8-inch subwoofer and seven speakers to that.

Safety

ABS, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist and Honda's version of stability control otherwise known as Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) all come as standard. A so-called Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body technology is new, and Honda claims that it will maximize crash-energy dissipation in a frontal collision with vehicles of different sizes and heights.

Other additional standard safety features include six intelligent side-curtain and front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) and active front seat head restraints.


The technical stuff

Perhaps the most notable version of Accords here, and also the one that we drove extensively, was the 3.5-litre i-VTEC V6 that outputs 271bhp (275 PS) at 6,500rpm and 339nm at a rather high 5000rpm. Technically speaking, it is the most powerful Accord to date, and ironically also very efficient, or so Honda claims.

Equipped with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) capabilities, the V6 shuts down two to three of its six cylinders depending on the load capacity and situation, for example three cylinders when the throttle is feathered through smooth medium-speed city cruising scenarios, four for cruising at Malaysian highway speed limits, and all six when you really want to work it like a dog.

The 2.0 and 2.4-litre engines are slight improvements in terms of power. Output is 154bhp (156 PS) at 6300rpm and 189nm at 4300rpm for the former, and as for the K24Z, it goes up to 178bhp (180 PS) at 6500rpm while 222 torques at 4300rpm remain.

Although all come with 5-speed automatic transmissions, the 2-litre misses out on the steering mounted paddle shifters of the other two variants.

Driving Impressions

When I first got into the Accord 2.4, I felt 20 years older. Thereafter when I got into the 3.5-litre V6, I felt an additional 20 years older. It didn't help that the brown, varnished enamel trimmings and beige leather seats portrayed an even stronger "uncle" image and the centre console was a disorganized mess of buttons set below a plainly boring display screen.

Even worse, the "Accord" wordings on all the door steps light up in distasteful 'Ah Beng' neon blue.

Well, some of those initial, type-cast feelings were dispelled when I discovered that the steering adjusts for both tilt and reach, and when I stepped on the gas pedal. The ease and smoothness of which the car drove compensated for a few of those repulsive features, although I have to admit that it is kind of difficult to get over the centre console, especially when all of the car's three occupants took nearly ten minutes to figure out how to get the radio to not jump from one station to the next when tuned!

There are a few neat features of convenience though - when you set the transmission to "Park," the doors will automatically unlock; likewise, when "D" is engaged, those doors will then lock again. User-friendly cruise control functions and immense, Mercedes E-Class (ed. we reckon even more so) rivaling levels of legroom and storage space within the car makes the archetypal female like me a very happy one.

The ride quality of the new Accord beats the outgoing model with its softer suspension setup for family car drivers, but it has to be said that it hasn't exactly been uncompromising in the "sporty driving feel" department. Predictably, understeer rules the day, and these cars do roll a fair bit when thrown hard into a corner. The extremely light and numb wheel do not help things much either.

Running on standard 215/60 R16s, the 2-litre Accord is, well, pretty basic in terms of power delivery and handling. This SOHC i-VTEC needs to be revved in order to harness its torque and power band well. The underpowered nature of this car starts to rear its ugly head past legal speed limits.


The 2.4-litre DOHC was the most balanced of the three in terms of features, driving performance and weight distribution. With standard 17-inch 225/50 profile tyres and the rather redundant paddle shifters, it can be adequately fun to drive if you don't feel the need for any sort of sporty power rush, and that's where the 3.5-litre V6 came into its own.

While not exactly the tarmac scorcher, the lush engine note combined with the very punchy top end proved to be the pick of the bunch amongst our beer-swinging, beef loving chauvinistic bunch of male drivers. It managed 100km/h from rest in 7.9 seconds with one passenger and half a tank of petrol on a hot day, even with the air-conditioning turned on, but it still feels as if it were holding back its horses, somehow.

It must be said that it is aurally impossible to deduce when the car is running on three, four or six cylinders. For your light-footed needs though, a green "ECO" light will illuminate in the gauge cluster when your new V6 is running frugal.

As for the other two, they did manage to come within 1.5 seconds of their published 0-100km/h timings.

All cars felt deceivingly zippy through traffic. That is, until the sheer size of them caught up with us. Noise, vibration and harshness levels were definitely more than acceptable, and while a lot better than some of its rivals, one must overlook the initial transmission lag, especially on those equipped with pedal shifters, and the less fussy might start to see that they have an almost perfect everyday sedan.

The price of luxury

The first in the mid-size segment to offer luxury-car features, the 2008 Honda Accord swanks that brand new look inside and out. We might not agree with the aesthetics and ergonomics of the car, but it remains clear that it is still one of the few at the top of its segment which competitors will measure against, and also one that consumers will use to compare with other similar cars.

The lines are getting increasingly blurred though, as over the years, the Accord does tend to offer prospective buyers what its chief competitor does, essentially diluting the car's primitive character. Bluntly put, in loosing its "edge," the Accord has become a very good Camry, and less of that sporty Mazda 6 which by the way, also shows signs of softening.

As for damages to your wallet, the 2-litre retails for just under a hundred grand ($99,800), while the all-rounded 2.4 goes for $106,800. The $125,800 price tag makes the 3.5-litre V6 seem rather expensive in comparison, but not when you consider that it edges to almost Lexus levels of refinement.